Paper Roses
by Skarrow
Summary: He failed to capture his first love years ago, and turned to 2D girls as a result. Now he is the Capturing God and she moved to Maijima-shi, possessed by a loose soul. Keima will do everything he can to fill the emptiness in her heart. Slight AU, final pairing still undecided!
1. Beginning, part one

(I don't own The World god Only Knows. I don't own the song Paper Roses, either.)

Summary: Once upon a time, Katsuragi Keima was not yet a God of Conquest. His first and last "failed capture" was his first love… and the reason why he turned to his 2D girls. Now she's back in town with her boyfriend – and a loose soul.

(Basically this is my take on why he was so obsessed with seeing Asuka Sora's picture, spending time with Yotsuba ("Yokkyun") and how deeply capturing the "average girl" Kosaka Chihiro affected him.)

Warning: Contains an OC and some spoilers. I need help portraying Keima properly or else he may get out of character. Slightly AU.

* * *

><p><em>She's in Maijima City.<em>

Keima's mom, Mari, was excited about this news. So was Tenri's mom, who dropped in to share some of the cake she bought at that popular pastry place in town.

"When did she arrive?"

"Only ten days ago. She'll be attending a public high school in about one more week."

"Is this temporary?"

"It looks like she'll be living here permanently."

"That's wonderful! Ooh, if I weren't stuck here with these tax returns, I could head out and buy some cake!"

They were talking so loudly Keima could hear them over the game music blaring from his earphones. Unbidden, he sank lower into his seat. He didn't want to hear this conversation. As much as possible, he wanted to shut out their voices so he could deal with the sudden awkward emotions that were coursing through him.

His efforts were in vain.

"I was so _surprised _to see her manning the register at Jupiter!" exclaimed Mrs. Ayukawa, referring to said popular pastry shop. "It's been, what, ten years since I've seen her? Eleven?"

"How does she look? Is she still cute?" Mari prodded excitedly. Mrs. Ayukawa shook her head. "No, she's not cute. She's beautiful! I honestly can't believe she shares the same birthday with Keima-kun! She looks like a real young lady!"

"Mother!" Elsie skipped into the cafe with a set of newly cleaned cups and saucers in her arms. "I'll be putting these away now!" Mari looked up at her husband's "illegitimate daughter" and smiles, a sudden idea forming in her mind. "Elsie, once you're finished, can you head out and order a chocolate cake at Jupiter for me? And can you bring your brother with you?"

Elsie paused and stole a glance at Keima, who was sitting next to a window, furiously mashing the buttons of his PFP.

The God of Conquest was aware that Elsie was studying him. He sank even lower in his seat. _I don't want to go! C'mon Elsie, read my body language! We've known each other for a while now, so surely you can understand this much! You can't be too clueless to-!_

"Of course, Mother!" He heard Elsie say. "And of course, I'll take Kami Nii-sama with me!"

_Curse you, Elsie!_

* * *

><p>The door opened with a little chime. Keima and Elsie stepped inside Jupiter, and a blast of cool air washed over the pair from overhead. Keima's eye twitched as the cornucopia of sweet scents invaded his senses. He slowly took in the rainbow colored plastic decorations placed all over the shop and shuddered.<p>

_I hate sweets. And it's too bright in here…. What kind of name for a bakery is "Jupiter," anyways?_

Jupiter…

He should be on the lookout for those creeps from Vintage! Not hanging around in bakeries!

Meanwhile Elsie was already waiting in line. When she realized her beloved "Divine Brother" wasn't with her, she turned around to look at him questioningly. She saw that he was standing near some bread shelves, his fingers pressing away on his PFP – nothing unusual about that. But there was something about his slouched stance, the way he huddled near the shelves and the way he kept glancing around, like he was hiding.

_It doesn't look like she's around… maybe her shift is over, or maybe she's on break?_

Keima watched his 11, 288th captured heroine embrace his character in loving ecstasy before impatiently skipping through the ending credits and theme.

"Oh?" He mumbled when a message flashed on his PFP screen.

"Congratulations! You've obtained the perfect endings for all 6 girls!" Read the message. "You've unlocked the Hidden Story! Please continue to enjoy playing _Mirrors and Hearts_!"

"A hidden storyline… huh. Not many dating games have something like this," he mused, pressing the start button to go to the game's main menu.

He got so engrossed with his game that he didn't notice the beautiful dark haired girl heading in his general direction with a basket of bread under each arm. Although she wore the customary God-awful pink apron all Jupiter employees were forced to wear, it didn't detract from her stunning appearance.

"Majima Shouko… so, she's the heroine of this 'Hidden Story', and… she's 19 years old, and a member of the Sacred Gate Alliance since age 8, and –"

"Uhh, excuse me sir, I need to get behind you so I can stack these up on the shelves."

Keima glanced up at the intruder in annoyance ("who _dares _disturb the God of Conquest while he is at work?"), and everything around him froze for a second. He suddenly found himself staring right into a lovely face and an exquisite pair of ruby eyes he'd thought he'd never see ever again. Any traces of irritation on his face vanished instantly.

_It's been too long…._

"Sir?"

"…Sorry." Keima moved out of the way for the girl and quickly left the store, ignoring the worried calls of his (fake!) younger half sister. Once outside, he turned off his PFP and shoved his fingers through his hair, struggling with the sudden whirlwind of emotions that throttled him. His face was flushed.

_Damn it. I let my guard down._

* * *

><p>The sun was beginning to set by the time Elsie finally got out of the store. She instantly spotted her spirit capturing buddy standing dejectedly by himself next to a mailbox. He was playing his PFP, so there probably wasn't anything wrong.<p>

"Kami-nii-sama!" Elsie hollered, rushing over to his side.

"…Where's the cake?" Keima asked without looking up.

"Actually, about that… Asuka-chan baked it herself! Isn't that amazing!"

"…What?"

"Elsie!"

The door to Jupiter swung open again, and to Keima's horror, the female employee he met earlier stepped out and, noticing the pair, she smiled and approached with a cake box in her arms. "Here you go, Elsie! One box of 'Sinful Heaven', just for you!" she announced in a sing-song voice, and presented the cake box as if she were offering a present to a queen. Elsie squealed with delight and took the box, showering the other female with gratitude.

While Elsie gushed over the cake, the employee turned to Keima, noticed his guarded expression, and laughed. "Don't make that face, Keima-kun! What, not even a 'hello' or a 'how are you' for me? I mean, I know you don't like sweets, so you came all this way to see me, right?"

The otomegane frowned. "My mother forced me to."

"Ah, I wonder about that… I was pretty sure she'd be telling you to stay away from me, or worse, she'd drive down here herself to theaten me—"

"Mom's not a member of the biker gang anymore."

"Hmm…." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Could it be that you didn't tell your mom about what happened, Keima-kun?" she asked, smiling in that knowing way Keima hated. "I wonder why?"

"Manami-san. Stop calling me by my first name." Keima said warningly.

"Heheh, why so formal? We're old friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah. We _were_!"

….!

Elsie abruptly stopped drooling over the Sinful Heaven cake and looked up at her Divine Brother in surprise. Keima stared in shock at the alarm blinking on Elsie's head; stared at the beauty standing in front of him. She stared back at him, and there was an expression he'd never seen on her face before.

No matter how many times he heard the loose soul alarm go off, it sounded like "doya"… but that was beside the point. He wasn't expecting it to go off, period. Not now, not like this.

"Oh! My boyfriend's here! Later, Katsuragi!" Before she could say another word, she dashed off towards a guy in a T-shirt and jeans standing by himself at the crosswalk. Keima watched her grasp the dude's arm affectionately as they crossed the street together.

Elsie turned off the alarm and faced her Divine Brother. "Kami-nii-sama! A loose soul!"

"I don't want to hear it." Keima whirled around and started walking, playing his PFP once again.

"B-b-but, Kami-nii-sama! Aren't you worried about her? We've got to help her! Kami-nii-sama!"

"I'm not worried in the slightest." He kept walking and playing.

_I don't care. I'm not worried in the slightest._

"Kami-nii-sama! You're going the wrong way!"

Keima immediately halted, spun on his heels and walked in the correct direction. Strange... he was never distracted, even while playing his games. His eye twitched defiantly.

_I'm not worried about her. I'm not!_

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Meh. ^^V Please review!<p> 


	2. Beginning, part two

(I don't own TWGOK or the song Paper Roses.)

* * *

><p>Paper roses, paper roses…<p>

Oh, how real those roses seem to me

But they're only imitations

Like your imitation love for me

* * *

><p>The next day at school, lunchtime, on the roof….<p>

"Manami Asuka, 17 years old. Her blood type is O. Asuka-chan works part-time at the bakeshop Jupiter in Narusawa City, and by next week she'll be attending Narusawa Public High School. She likes music and watching cartoons. Her hobby is listening to "Learn-it-Yourself" language tapes, so aside from Japanese, she is can speak English, Italian, Spanish and French…." Elsie glances up at Keima with surprise. "She was born on the same date and time as you, Kami-sama!"

"I already knew that," Keima hissed. "And didn't I say I wasn't going to capture her?"

"B-but, Kami-sama! We can't just ignore the loose soul!"

"Her parameters are too weak!" Keima argued. "Even a supporting character is better than her! A character as flawed as her doesn't exist in dating games!"

"What do you mean, Kami-sama? She's the most beautiful girl we've met so far!" Elsie tried to reason, arms flailing about as she spoke. "As for her personality, well… she seemed really nice when I talked to her yesterday… although she was a bit cool towards you Kami-sama, she's probably a Nadeshiko Yamato!"

"It's the other way around, idiot! _Yamato Nadeshiko_! And she's definitely not that type! She's more like a Yandere! No self-respecting gamer would attempt to capture a 2D Yandere girl like her!"

(Notice: The opinions stated above are entirely those of Katsuragi Keima.)

At this Elsie opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. Something about what he said just now was strange. "…A 2D Yandere girl like her?" She said aloud, running his words through a second time. "How would you know what her real personality is like, Kami-sama? Have you met her personally before?"

"O-of course not!" Keima stuttered. "I…Obviously, I've seen 400 girls like her before, that's why! All the signs are there! I'm 100% sure it's her personality!"

"…But, you said so yourself just a minute ago, Kami-sama, that a character as flawed as her doesn't exist in dating games," Elsie said.

"…Nnngghh! What are you, taking notes?"

In a huff, Keima got to his feet and moved to the opposite side of the roof. Of all the times he really _needed _her to pull through for him, but fell short of his expectations….

Elsie chose _now _to use her brain?

He tried concentrating on his game again, but his balance was off ever since yesterday. He could only half understand the plot.

Elsie stared at him, perplexed. "Kami-sama…."

* * *

><p>Later that night, Keima was locked in his room, sitting in his leather recliner chair, staring at his PFP in shock.<p>

Until this very moment, Shouko, the heroine of the Hidden Story, seemed like THE "ideal" 2D girl of the dating sim game world. She is everything Yokkyun from One Leaf is – and _more_. It really helped that she was drawn by one of the most renowned game artists, plus her voice actor was popular, too. Hell, this game 'Mirrors and Hearts' was developed and produced by B's Ware, the makers of 'One Leaf' so Shouko could be mistaken for Yokkyun's estranged cousin!

…And then he got to mid-game…

It soon became apparent that the heroine Majima Shouko was an experienced flirt.

When Keima's initial shock died down, he was boiling mad!

What was the company thinking? Creating a flawed character like this… making a "realistic girl" like this… it defied the whole purpose of dating the perfect 2D girls! Right after he told them to make a good game, too! Keima was so pissed, he almost stopped playing right then and there. But when he saw the text on the PFP screen, he stilled.

It was a CG event. Shouko had her back turned to him, her silver hair billowing in the strong wind:

* * *

><p>(Game screen)<p>

**Location: Front Gardens  
><strong>**Time: 09:04pm  
><strong>**Love Event number 05 out of 17**

"Hmph. Didn't you hear me the first time? I said it's over. You were just a toy, a plaything for me. I'm tired of you now, so I'm dumping you."

Shouko still had her back turned as she said this, her silver hair flapping dramatically in the wind(?).

"You understand, right? I just wanted to have memories of dating my childhood friend, nothing serious. Unless of course… you fell in love with me for real?"

* * *

><p>(Real world)<p>

There were two choices of dialogue for Keima. The first one was "This isn't like you!" and the second was "Goodbye". Using the analogue stick, Keima moved the game cursor so that it highlighted the second option.

_Goodbye…._

If Keima hadn't met Manami Asuka all those years ago, he'd choose this dialogue option, no question about it. But then again, if he hadn't met Asuka, he wouldn't be playing dating sims in the first place….

Keima really didn't want to play this route seriously anymore. Making his decision, he clicked on "Goodbye".

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Elsie was downstairs in the living room. She was talking to Keima's mom about Asuka.<p>

"Mother, has nii-sama met Asuka-chan before? Because Asuka-chan was calling nii-sama by his first name…."

"Oh, so you met her? Well? What did you think of her?"

Elsie thought about it for a few seconds, and eventually replied that Asuka seemed like a nice, polite girl, a good cook, and extremely beautiful.

"Boticelli's Venus," quipped Mari.

"What does that mean?" Elsie wondered.

Mari laughed. "That's what my husband, Keima-kun's father, said about Asuka-chan. You know, when she was younger, she was already quite a stunner. In our old hometown, she was the apple of everyone's eyes. Men and women alike kept calling her an 'angel' or a 'goddess', et cetera. But if you ask me…." Mari glanced up the stairs for any sign that her otomegane son would be coming down (around this time onwards, he would hole himself up in his room until tomorrow morning, but it was better to be safe than sorry). To Elsie's shock, Mari removed her glasses and hair clip and in the next instant, she was in her "biker chick" persona. With a flick of her wrist, she beckoned her daughter to move closer, staring her down with a gaze that tolerated no margin of disobedience. With a shudder and a nod, Elsie complied, and sat closer to her mom. Once her daughter was settled, the older woman spoke, her voice lowered conspiratorially.

"There was something a little… _off _about her, ya know? Even if she were just a _really _cute tyke of 6 years old, it was still unreal how easily she charmed everyone in town – my son included. It doesn't take a genius figure out that she was just stringin' em all along."

"M-mother?"

"I used to be part of a biker gang, yeah? I have a special awareness for these kinda things… I can sense _my own kind_, if ya know what I mean."

"Y-you mean… Asuka-chan is a member of a gang?" Elsie gasped. "Oh, no! Kami-nii-sama is in trouble!" Elsie was reading a book from the school library about arson (it was one of the books Shiori found for her) caused by gangsters having a territorial dispute. It scared her so much she just stopped reading entirely and returned it.

"Uhh, no, that's not what I meant –"

"Mom, I'm going out for a bit."

Both women gasped loudly and slapped their hands over each other's mouths. They were thinking the same thing: _When did __**he **__come downstairs? _Behind them, Keima was hurriedly putting on a dark jacket, at the same time wiggling into his sneakers. After a few seconds Mari removed her hands from Elsie's face and abruptly stood up, Elsie's hands flying off. "Hey! Just where the hell do you think you're going, you runt? Don'tcha know what time it is?"

"I'm off." Without further ado, Keima dashed out the front door. It slammed loudly behind him.

"HEY!" Mari shouted. To Elsie's shock, she started screaming a lot of inappropriate words. Without thinking, Elsie announced, "I-I'm going after him!" and bounded out of the house after her older brother.

"Kami-sama! Where are you going? Mother is worried about you!" By the time Elsie finally caught up to Keima, she was exhausted.

Instead of replying to that, Keima just kept walking briskly. He said over his shoulder, "Elsie, since you followed me, you might as well make yourself useful." He slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "I want you to find Manami Asuka's address with you raiment and compare it to the address written on here."

While Elsie worked her demon magic, she asked Keima what he was planning to do once he found Asuka.

"The capturing process starts now."

"E-eh? B-but earlier this afternoon, you were totally _against it_, and–!"

"Hurry up and find her house! Stop getting distracted!" Keima ordered.

"Y-yes! I'm on it!" But, she still had to ask, because it wouldn't stop bothering her… "Kami-sama, I thought you wouldn't 'capture' a flawed character like Asuka-chan…."

Keima made sure she was concentrating on her raiment before answering her question. "Have you already forgotten what I've taught you before?" (A/N: Watch Season 1, episode 4 for details.)

"…Eh?"

"There is no such thing as a crappy heroine. It's only the game that's crappy. Every heroine deserves a chance to be saved and loved, no matter what kind of person they are."

"Kami-sama…." Elsie didn't know what manner of angelic grace (or fallen angelic grace) had visited him and managed to change his mind. She didn't care; she was just glad that he seemed intent upon freeing Asuka from the loose soul.

Which reminded her about something important….

"The capture process has barely begun, but I wanted to ask you something, Kami-sama… about the loose soul inside Asuka-chan… my loose soul alarm didn't go off when we first entered Jupiter, and it didn't activate when I spoke to her directly, either… It only went off while you were talking to her."

"So, just like in Nagase Jun-sensei's case, it's likely that the loose soul just possessed her right then," Keima concluded. (A/N: Watch Season 2, episode 9 for details.) "So it shouldn't be too hard to get it out, because it's still weak. Good. I don't want to stay too long on this capture."

"…Kami-sama? Can I ask you one more thing?" Elsie asked.

"What is it? Geez, you're asking me too many questions tonight."

"What kind of relationship did you have with Asuka-chan in the past?"

Keima grimaced. _There you go. The winning million yen question. Might as well get it over with._

"She was my first love."


	3. Beginning, part three

Manami Asuka was a rose, a diamond, a princess, an angel (you get the idea…) to innocent little Katsuragi Keima 11 years ago. Back then he was so happy that he was THE boy she considered her best friend. For a while, it was enough for him.

But Keima saw that lots of other guys (and some girls!) had a crush on her, and became deathly afraid that she would become someone's "girlfriend". Why wouldn't they want her? She was kind and polite to everyone, very smart and really beautiful. According to his dad Keiichi, once a girl became a boy's girlfriend meant she would stay with him and only him. So Keima, being the young naïve boy he was, confessed his childish love for his darling Asuka.

To his delight, Asuka accepted his feelings and agreed to become his "girlfriend".

For an entire week, Keima was in Lala Land. He could hold hands with Asuka and buy her ice cream and go play at the park with her as much as he wanted. He enjoyed telling her "I love you, A-chan," and he felt like he could fly each time Asuka giggled, shyly tucked a stray strand of hair behind an ear and said "I love you too, Kei-chan".

He felt like he was the cool, handsome fairytale hero who had just won the hand of the fairest princess in all the land. He ignored his mom's subtle hints to not get in too deep. He knew his mother was smart in many ways (especially street smart), so why couldn't she just accept Asuka? Why couldn't she just be happy for him?

Then one bright and sunny afternoon, Keima decided to surprise his beloved at her house with an advance birthday gift. For the past two years they simply exchanged gifts, since they shared the same birthday, but this year Asuka was his girlfriend. He wanted to make her happy.

So he snuck over to her house with a strange-looking stuffed rabbit he planned to gift her with….

* * *

><p>"What happened then, Kami-sama?"<p>

"She was with another boy!" Keima shouted so loud Elsie was positive he'd awakened nearly every stray dog and cat in the neighborhood. She slammed her hands over her ears and tried to reason with him, "Kami-sama! Please calm down!"

Keima adjusted his glasses. "I don't want to linger too long on this capture," he said. "So I'll piss her off as fast as I can so I can find out what's bothering her and get her ending with one fell swoop."

Elsie bugged her eyes out. "Kami-sama! Why do you always torture the girls you capture like this! Can't you discover what's troubling them another way?"

"…Are you telling ME, the CAPTURING GOD, how to capture women…?" Keima asked in a low, echoing, growling voice. "…Since you were so quick to complain this time… you must have a suggestion, yes?"

"Err… um…." Elsie grasped around for a brilliant idea. Keima was always treating her no better than dirt, and had little faith in her intellectual capabilities. She had to show him that she could be useful!

"…Well? Let's hear your opinion."

"W-w-why not try asking her what the matter is?" Elsie squawked without thinking.

"Asking…? You honestly believe that they'd actually TELL me their problems are if I just ask them out of the blue? How DUMB can you be?" Keima screeched.

"Waah!" Elsie wailed. "I just hate it when you make them so angry! They're already suffering… you don't need to make it worse!"

"…Elsie." Keima turned around and coolly adjusted his glasses. "Let me teach you something nice… Anger is a potent (if not all powerful) medicine that breaks a person out of depression and forces them to focus on whatever pissed them off."

"...Oh, I see! And negative impressions can be converted to positive, romantic impressions, right?"

Keima smirked. Elsie really was learning. "Very good. I'll give you a passing grade."

"But... I still think you should try to ask Asuka-chan what the matter is," Elsie insisted. "Because Kami-nii-sama and Asuka-chan know each other very well already!"

"WEREN'T YOU LISTENING EARLIER?" Keima screeched. "Just for that, I'll give you an F!"

"Aww, Kami-niisama!"

* * *

><p>When Keima and Elsie reached the 610 store that was written on the address, Keima shivered. He'd never been to this part of Maijima City, and it looked like a pretty rough neighborhood. He wanted to bring Asuka to her home then escape back to his house, his bedroom where his beloved game consoles were waiting – as fast as possible.

The pair peeked through the window. There was a fairly large crowd of high school, and even a few college boys inside.

…With Asuka smack dab in the middle, sitting at the counter with her handbag nearby and her chin resting forlornly on her palm.

"Asuka-chan is so popular," Elsie said aloud.

Keima rolled his eyes and decided against saying something on the demon's obvious comment. "I don't have the physical strength nor the speed to get through," he muttered. "I'll be squashed in no time flat."

Elsie straightened. "Leave that to me, Kami-sama!"

As she worked on weaving something, hiding behind some bushes, and old man hobbled by and entered the store. Keima saw Asuka stand up quickly with excitement, and watched her as she sank back down on the stool with disappointment. _She's expecting me, _he realized. _She asked me to pick her up because she didn't want to deal with these boys._ Keima gritted his teeth as he fought this strange urge to smile sappily at the thought. _So what if she's counting on me?_

"Kami-sama! I'm done!" Elsie jumped out of the bushes, leaves and grass stuck in her hair and robes. She held out a pair of black and gold ivory bracelets with both hands. "Here, Kami-sama! Wear these Jumbo Bands and you'll gain the physical strength of 20 pro wrestlers for 20 seconds!"

Keima's face twitched slightly as he stared at the bracelets with reluctance. _It sounds like I can actually kill somebody with these things_. Nevertheless he took them from Elsie and slipped them on his wrists.

"Kami-sama, I'll tie my hagoromo around your waist. Once you get through the guys, just tug on the cloth and I'll haul you out of there! Just like how I pulled you last time, at the pool!"

"Stop messing with me! The last time you did that, you pulled so hard I was swimming faster than humanly possible!" Keima half-shouted. "I needed to go to the hospital afterward!"

* * *

><p>"Asuka-chan, you're done with work, right? I'll take you home."<p>

"My car is parked right outside! Ride with me – it's dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night."

"Asuka-chan, we live in the same direction! Let's leave together!"

Manami Asuka waved her hand negligently, trying to shoo the boys off. "I'm so sorry, I can't go home with any of you tonight," she apologized sweetly, smiling with chagrin. "I'm planning on staying here a little longer. Besides, I asked an old friend of mine who happened to live in the area to pick me up."

"Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, that's what you told us two nights ago," pointed out one of the boys. "It sounds suspicious, if you ask me. Are you sure you're not telling us this just so you can sneak off by yourself?"

"C'mon, Asuka-chan, let one of us escort you home," another boy coaxed.

Asuka glanced at the plain round wall clock as subtly as she could. It was almost nine. These stupid boys have been whining and wheedling her into going home with one of them since eight, and she was tired. She was afraid that she might accidentally snap at them, and consciously worked at keeping her lovely face cheerful and her tone of voice pleasant, but she was fast approaching her limit. She knew she couldn't endure their meddling any longer.

But endure it she would. Asuka couldn't risk destroying the "Yamato Nadeshiko" image she carefully crafted for herself. If anyone ever saw her as something less than the perfect girl, everything would fall apart….

Yesterday afternoon, before running off to her brand new boyfriend Yuuta, she'd secretly slipped a piece of paper in Keima's pants pocket. Written in it were her contact numbers, the address of the convenience store she worked at on Tuesday and Thursday nights, plus a quick scribble pleading him to pick her up from work tonight.

Asuka wondered if he would honor her request. It's been 11 years since they last saw each other, after all, and they didn't exactly part ways on happy terms, either. Was Katsuragi Keima still a person who could be counted on, no matter what? Or did he change?

The automatic doors slid open, and Asuka stood on her tip toes so she could see over the boys' heads to look at the entrance. Her excitement was immediately squashed when she saw that it was just some random old guy, here to buy a late night coffee.

As the boys continued to yammer around her, Asuka propped her elbow on the counter and sighed softly.

_Maybe… maybe he won't come,_ she thought. _Maybe he's still angry for what I did to him._

When the sliding doors opened again, she didn't even bother looking up to see who it was. She didn't even budge when someone began to shove his way through the throngs of men surrounding her, and ignored the irritated cries of "get lost, Glasses!" and "who the hell is this punk?"

But Asuka was immediately yanked back to reality when one particular, achingly familiar voice commanded her in a tone louder than the rest –

"Asuka! Give me your hand, we're leaving!"

Jerking her head up, she instantly spotted Keima, who was trying to get in between two slightly bigger and older guys and holding his hand out to her. Without hesitation, she grabbed her bag and took his hand. Like magic, he hauled her through the throngs of boys, past the sliding doors and out onto the darkened streets with one swift pull.

And all Asuka could think of was, _he called me by my first name..._

After catching her breath, Asuka turned to Keima and opened her mouth to thank him, but stopped herself short when he abruptly released his hold on her hand.

"Let's go." Keima's voice was unreadable.

"…R-right. Thanks."

Silently, the pair walked down the street together.

* * *

><p>"Manami… Asuka?"<p>

"Yes, don't you remember her, Tenri?"

Indeed, Tenri _did _remember that fatal beauty, and all too well. She was the reason why the kind boy she was in love with since long ago, Keima, changed so much. She won his heart, lucky girl she was, and broke it mercilessly. Up until now, Tenri couldn't understand how Asuka could just throw away a wonderful man like Keima as if he were just a leftover she didn't want. _Why…? I wanted him to like me so much, and she didn't even feel regret after she discarded him. Why…?_

Careful not to turn around, lest her facial expression give away the tide of heartache, jealousy and sadness washing over her, Tenri lied, "No, mom, I don't really remember her. It's been over ten years since I last saw her, after all." She kept her back to her mother and stared out her bedroom window at the stars in the sky.

Mrs. Ayukawa, oblivious to the turmoil her daughter was going through at the moment, suggested, "Why don't you head over to Jupiter one of these days and visit her? You and Keima together?"

Tenri had to take a deep breath before answering, "I don't know, mom…."

Inside her, just beneath the surface of Tenri's consciousness, the Goddess Diana was raging. For Diana had sworn that anything that upset her host, Tenri, would face her wrath. And anything that stood in the way of Tenri and Keima's possible future romantic relationship would also face her wrath.

Living in the same body, she also had access to the same memories as Tenri. As painful images of a young Asuka and a young Keima holding hands and staring at each other with puppy-dog eyes invaded her mind, Diana gnashed her teeth together, already coming up with different methods of punishing the witch.

Manami Asuka needs to learn a lesson, Diana decided with finality. Indeed, the Goddess would punish her just as a Goddess should. Should she get her other sisters together for this, or should she do this alone? Either way, Asuka needed to face judgment. For the first time, Diana wasn't selfishly doing this all for just herself and Tenri. She was doing this to avenge Keima too, as well as all the people Asuka hurt with her insensitive actions.

But what on Earth could possibly count as a suitable punishment for a cruel woman who didn't take love and friendship seriously? Diana could not physically harm her, it was against her code as a Goddess to hurt regular people (never mind the fact that she endangered Keima's life almost every time she tried to hook him up with Tenri). So the only option left open to her was to crush her psychologically. Yet, the Goddess did not know her personally, all she had to go on are wisps of Tenri's memories that didn't provide enough reliable information. And, it may be possible that Manami Asuka changed over the decade….

"Dear, what's the matter? Don't you want to see her?"

"Oh mom, it's just that Asuka-san may not remember me," Tenri replied. "I wasn't all that close to her, after all… only Keima-kun was close to her."

At this, Diana perked up. Having Tenri meet up with Asuka under the guise of a friendly reunion seemed like the perfect idea of a recon!

**"Tenri, you should go visit Manami Asuka," **Diana promptly suggested.

_W-why?_

Thinking quickly, Diana came up with, **"What if she's planning on harming Katsuragi-san again? You need to protect him by finding out what she's up to."**

Tenri thought about it for a moment. _But, maybe she's different now…._

**"And if she hasn't?" **Diana argued gently, although Tenri's reasoning matched her own.** "It's better to be safe than sorry. There's nothing to be afraid of. You are under the protection of a Jupiter Sister."**

Tenri wasn't worried about her safety; she was afraid of Diana's methods of "protecting" her, and of how violent the Goddess could be.


End file.
